advancing tunnel safety management: a simple and adaptable method for comprehensive evaluation

Tunnel safety presents unique challenges, requiring a practical and adaptable evaluation method. to address this need, a comprehensive safety index was developed in this study. the analytic hierarchy process (ahp) was used with a panel of 43 experts to assign evidence-based weights to seven key safety categories. the results show that ‘traffic management and surveillance’ (24%), ‘emergency and rescue management’ (21%), and ‘tunnel and road geometry’ (19%) are the most critical factors. the model was then validated through a case study of the shohada-ye-gaza tunnel in tehran, which scored 5.85, corresponding to a “mean” safety level. specific weaknesses were successfully pinpointed by the evaluation, demonstrating its utility as a diagnostic tool. furthermore, it was confirmed by a sensitivity analysis that a 30% improvement in the ‘traffic management and traffic surveillance’ category would raise the tunnel’s classification to “good.” this research provides a validated, straightforward framework that enables authorities to not only benchmark tunnel safety but also strategically allocate resources for targeted improvements.